Including Produce in Your Diet While Living in AK - A guest blog from nutritionist Becci Read, MScN

Including Produce in Your Diet While Living in AK

Fresh Produce in Anchorage: The Reality

Alaska is listed as the second most expensive state to buy food in, shortly behind Hawaii, and continues to be ranked amongst the cities with the lowest access to fresh fruit and vegetables ^1,2. Most of the fresh produce in Alaska is grown in other parts of the world and due to the travel time, a short growing season, and lack of farmland, food insecurity (uncertain or limited access to food on a regular basis) is a serious problem in Alaska. The cost of groceries for a family of four in Anchorage ranges from and estimated $700 -­ $1,800 ^3,4 per month. Even those who are not suffering from food insecurity, buying quality produce is expensive and frustrating. Unless you have a specific plan for the fresh produce that you are buying and are going to use it in the next couple of days (especially fruit or berries), it will most likely spoil before it gets eaten. Given the circumstances, what are our options?

1. Frozen Vegetables:​ Despite popular belief, frozen vegetables are a great alternative to fresh vegetables, especially for Alaskan residents. Frozen vegetables are blanched and flash frozen the same day they are picked, which means they retain a majority of their nutrients. When comparing frozen vegetables to fresh vegetables in Anchorage, frozen vegetables will always win in nutritional content if the fresh vegetables have been shipped from outside Alaska. Shipped vegetables can travel 3,000-­4,500 miles⁵ before they reach Anchorage shelves where they tend to sit for another few days before they are purchased. After being stored in the fridge for another couple days and then consumed, it is easy to see how a great deal of time can occur between the branch/bush/vine and the plate. At this point, many of the beneficial elements of fresh vegetables have been depleted from being off the plant for over a week. Frozen vegetables, especially in the winter, are readily available and a more nutritionally sound option. Frozen leafy greens can be added easily to smoothies, soups, or pasta dishes. Frozen veggies like broccoli, peas, green beans, corn, brussel sprouts, squash, or peppers can be steamed and served as a side or added to sauces and soups. Frozen vegetables do not need to be thawed before use, so they make meal preparations easier as well.

2. Buy Alaskan Grown Produce: ​Most grocery stores carry local produce, and many root vegetables are available year ­round. The Alaska Department of Natural Resources: Division of Agriculture has a list of Alaskan farms by region that includes contact information and products available⁶. Finding a local or regional farm to buy your products from not only supports the local farming economy but also your health. Consuming food grown in the region you live in (when they are in season) is beneficial because you are eating the plant when it has the highest nutritional value. The inner "foodie"in you may also delight at incorporating Alaskan terroir into your meals.

3. Eat Seasonally: ​Produce is more nutritionally dense when eaten in season, which is apparent when you compare a tomato in January to one in July. The color in July is a darker red, the fruit is plump and extremely juicy, and the skin is less fibrous. These are all signs that the fruit not only has more nutrients packed inside (darker color, more plump) but that those nutrients are easier to absorb (less fibrous skin makes it easier to digest). This is true for all produce we eat in season: they are simply more nutritionally dense. It is generally easier to eat foods in season, too. In the winter, warm root vegetables sound more appealing than cold raw veggies, where the opposite is true in the warmer summer months. Eating seasonally will also keep you from getting “stuck in a rut” and add variety to your diet. Consider joining a CSA (community ­supported agriculture) group, which delivers or has seasonal produce available weekly. Alaska Community Agriculture has a list of CSA farms around Anchorage ⁷. The winter months are the most difficult to eat seasonally, but many root vegetables and squashes can be preserved or stored for winter consumption, while fruits and berries can be dried and/or frozen. Use this handy guide for finding the produce that is in season.

Enjoy!


~Becci Read, MScN ­
Nutritionist in Bellingham, WA


1. McCarthy, J. In Anchorage, Access to Fruits and Vegetables Remains Lowest. Gallup. Website. Published April 8, 2014. http://www.gallup.com.

2. Becker, S. 8 Most Expensive States to Buy Food for your Family. CheatSheet. Website. Published Aug 4, 2015. http://www.cheatsheet.com/.

3. Fried, N. “Alaska’s Cost of Living.” Article/Report. Published July 2015. http://laborstats.alaska.gov/col/col.pdf

4. “Food Prices in Anchorage, AK, USA. Numbeo. Website. Updated March 2016. http://www.numbeo.com.

5. Hodges Snyder, E., Meter, K. Food in the Last Frontier: Inside Alaska's Food Security Challenges and Opportunities. Environment Magazine. Online Article. May­/June 2015. http://www.environmentmagazine.org.

6. “Alaska Grown Source Book.” The Alaska Department of Natural Resources: Division of Agriculture. Website. 2014­/2015. http://dnr.alaska.gov/ag/sourcebook/sourcebookindex2014.html.

7. “CSA Farms”. Alaska Community Agriculture. Website. http://acaa.drupalgardens.com/content/csa­farms.